ARTICLES ABOUT DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE BY DATE - PAGE 5

In another sign that the Philadelphia mayor's race holds national significance, Tipper Gore paid a visit Monday to raise money for the Democratic candidate, John F. Street. Her appearance at a fund-raising tea, which brought in about $37,000, was a precursor to President Clinton's scheduled visit later this month and an attempt to fire up local Democrats to come out to the polls Nov. 2. "I think we all know that John Street is the person that's going to continue the leadership in this great city, with its great history, and that's why we're here -- to make sure he is elected," Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, told a packed Center City banquet room that included many local elected officials.

Pennsylvania Democratic leaders, who haven't had much to smile about in recent years, are grinning broadly thinking about the future. What turned their frowns upside down? Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell's recent appointment as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "He could play the role of Santa Claus to the state party," said Michael Young, a Pennsylvania State University professor who tracks state politics. Rendell could help reinvigorate party politics in Pennsylvania by steering national campaign dollars and staff to crucial elections in the state next year.

Joseph M. Hoeffel III is happy to accept campaign help today from U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, who is coming to Philadelphia to promote Hoeffel's run for the 13th Congressional District seat in Montgomery County. And Hoeffel would love to have first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice President Al Gore do the same thing -- lend their support to his campaign to topple U.S. Rep. Jon D. Fox, who defeated Hoeffel two years ago by only 84 votes. But there is one helping hand Hoeffel, a Democrat, is not going to grab -- that of President Clinton.

Montgomery County Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel III, with his wife and two children at his side, announced Thursday that he is running again for Congress. The bare-bones gathering at the county courthouse in Norristown lacked the fanfare of incumbent U.S. Rep. Jon Fox's campaign announcement of a week ago. At a Norristown area country club, Fox, R-13th Dist., and 700 supporters welcomed U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum. Entertainment was provided by the organist from Philadelphia Phillies games.

by MARTIN PFLIEGER And PETE LEFFLER, The Morning Call | January 24, 1998

Area Democratic leaders say it doesn't matter whether President Clinton had an affair with a White House intern and urged her to lie about it. They're sticking by their man. The region's lawmakers were not as quick Friday to jump to Clinton's defense, however. Their mood, in fact, was grave. "This is a very serious matter," said U.S. Rep. Jim Greenwood, R-8th District. "It is not a time for political piling on, for political partisanship. I think the president may be in some very serious trouble."

To the Editor: The July 28 editorial on the need for campaign finance reform said that there is basically no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. Of course, that is absurd, and everybody knows it. The list of broken laws, obfuscations and outright lies by Clinton-Gore and the Democratic National Committee is outrageous. And, it's outrageous that the liberal press is pretending that it's no big deal. Sadly, The Morning Call is participating in the effort to protect the numerous criminals and foreign agents in the current administration.

Senate hearings into campaign fund-raising improprieties got off the ground this week with some startling claims. They certainly have headline value during Washington's summer news doldrums, but the American people must remember that caution and skepticism are the best ways to stay out of trouble when the heat goes up. Sen. Fred Thompson, the Tennessee Republican who is chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, said flatly that ...

To the Editor: With all the fuss over campaign funding, there seems to be a lack of interest in the outrageous lies that are told during elections. It seems to me, after hearing about the effects on some people, that a number of politicians are using what might be considered terroristic threats. To say that your opposition will starve you, throw you out on the street and strip you of medical care is very alarming to some. What scares me most is when an old woman sends her life savings to the Democratic National Committee because it claims the party is her only hope.